The Marauders and The Conspiracy
by JailyForever
Summary: The Marauders and their different encounters leading up to and after The Titanic sets sail. This collection is inspired by the rumour and on-going debate about whether or not it was really The Titanic sank. I would just like to state now that I am not saying that this is true, and that there are many things/'facts' that both support and reject the theory. Up next: Sirius' story
1. Peter's Story

**Word Count:** 750

* * *

Peter's Story

"YOU'RE GOING TO WHAT?" Peter cried, horrified at the words that had just left his boss' lips.

"Peter, keep your voice down," Mr Ismay's voice hissed, narrowing his eyes at the chief ship builder for White Star Line. "Someone might hear you."

"But, Sir, hundreds will die," Peter whispered. "How can you live with yourself knowing this?"

"It will most likely be thousands, Mr Pettigrew," Mr Ismay answered, his facial expression unconcerned as he walked around to the side of his desk, "but, The Californian will be forewarned about our accident and be on standby to minimise the loss of life."

"Sir, you are talking about insurance fraud," Peter whispered, shocked that his usually straight down the line employer was even considering this. "What if you get caught?"

Peter noticed how Mr Ismay gripped the edge of his desk tightly, his knuckles whitening.

"There will be no possibility of that," Mr Ismay answered dismissively. "Inform your crew that they will have the day off tomorrow whilst we have a few trusted people remove The Titanic and replace it with The Olympic. No one, and I repeat, no one will know the difference."

"But, Sir—" Peter started.

"Enough, Mr Pettigrew," Mr Ismay snapped. "Do as I say or I will find someone more willing and have you thrown in prison."

"Of course, Sir," Peter answered. "I am more than up for the challenge."

"You're a good man, Pettigrew," Mr Ismay said after a few minutes silence. "If everything goes to plan, you can expect a significant off the books bonus in April."

"Thank you, Mr Ismay," Peter said, reaching out and shaking the older man's hand. "I won't let you down, Sir."

"You'd better not," Mr Ismay answered. "Now, go and give your crew the 'good news.'"

~o~o~o~

April 15, 1912

Peter sat listening to the radio announcing the The Titanic had sunk. He had expected some part of him to feel some amount of remorse and upset over the major loss of life, but to his surprise, he found that he felt nothing. All he cared about was when his 'payment' for his silence would be arriving.

A knock at his front door drew him from his minor concerns about his lack of feelings for the people who had lost their lives.

He stood up from his armchair and turned the sound down on his radio before heading towards his front door and opening it.

"Mr Peter Pettigrew," the suited man asked.

"Yes," Peter said, his eyes falling on the briefcase that he was carrying. "Can I help you?"

Peter fought to keep a smile from appearing on his face as he considered the possibility that this man was about to hand him a briefcase full of money.

"This is from Mr Ismay," the man said, passing the briefcase over to him. "He said that you would be expecting it."

"Yes, absolutely," Peter answered, taking the briefcase from him. "Thank you."

"Mr Ismay sends his best regards," the man stating, giving him a low bow before departing from his doorstep.

Peter watched the man hurry along down the street and turn the corner before he closed behind him. He carried the briefcase to his living room and opened it. The small smile that had crossed his lips since bidding the man farewell spread into a huge grin.

Mr Ismay had been most generous to him, and the bonus he had provided him exceeded all his expectations. Peter had been anticipating twenty or thirty pounds in the briefcase, but what he was looking at appeared to be hundreds. It was more than enough for him to be able to quit his job and set up a new life far away from here, never having to worry about money for the rest of his days on this earth. Plus, if he invested it wisely, it could be enough to support his family for several generations.

Peter picked up a bundle of notes from the briefcase and smelled it. Even though the money was right in front of him, he couldn't believe that he was, for all intents and purposes, middle class. Gone were the days of scraping around for every last penny. He would finally be able to make himself a good match and marry a woman of means whose father would no doubt provide him with a decent dowry.

Everything was finally falling into place for Peter Pettigrew, and if 1500 lives was the price to pay then so be it.


	2. Remus' Story

**Subject:** Fairytales

 **Task:** Write about someone feeling betrayed by their partner

 **Prompts:** (AU) Titanic, (Word) Challenge

 **Writing Club:** Ship in a Bottle Day - Write about a ship. It can be a cruise, a famous ship, or just people watching ships go by

 **Word Count:** 2689

* * *

Remus' Story

Remus ambled along the corridor, heading towards the break room after a long shift working on The Titanic, the ship that would be the best luxury liner to ever grace the seven seas.

Just as he was about to round the corner, a loud, angry outburst coming from Mr Ismay's office made him stop.

"YOU'RE GOING TO WHAT?" the voice cried, sounding horrified.

Remus' footsteps halted. He knew that it was wrong, knew that he shouldn't eavesdrop on his boss' conversation, and if anyone were to ask him later, he wouldn't be able to tell them why, all he would be able to say was that something had told him that he needed to hear this. And in a few weeks time, he would be thanking whoever was watching over him that he had.

"Peter, keep your voice down," Mr Ismay's voice hissed. "Someone might hear you."

"But, Sir, hundreds will die," Peter whispered. "How can you live with yourself knowing this?"

"It will most likely be thousands, Mr Pettigrew," Mr Ismay answered, "but, The Californian will be forewarned about our accident and be on standby to minimise the loss of life."

Remus furrowed his eyebrows and moved closer to the door. Thousands of innocent lives could be lost, possibly even the love of his life who had booked them both tickets on the maiden voyage to America where it was said they were more accepting of their way of life.

But, for the life of him, Remus couldn't figure out why such an event could occur. He needed to find out more.

"Sir, you are talking about insurance fraud," Peter said softly. "What if you get caught?"

"There will be no possibility of that," Mr Ismay answered dismissively. "Inform your crew that they will have the day off tomorrow whilst we have a few trusted people remove The Titanic and replace it with The Olympic. No one, and I repeat, no one will know the difference."

"But, Sir—" Peter started.

"Enough, Mr Pettigrew," Mr Ismay snapped. "Do as I say or I will find someone more willing and have you thrown in prison."

"Of course, Sir," Peter answered. "I am more than up for the challenge."

There was some shuffling around in the room; Remus took this as his cue to leave and hastily carried on down the corridor, almost breaking out into a run, until he was clear of Mr Ismay's office.

As he entered the break room, he made his way towards the food counter and grabbed himself a sandwich. He didn't pay much attention to what kind he had taken, his mind was still processing what he had learnt.

The Titanic, the greatest cruise liner ever, would be replaced by The Olympic. But why? That ship was almost a write off given the amount of damage she had sustained. Why would anyone want to do that? Especially Mr Ismay when the repercussions would reflect poorly on White Star Line.

And Peter had said something about insurance fraud, what had that been about? What could Mr Ismay possibly hope to achieve?

Remus didn't have the answers to any of his questions, but he knew that he had to warn Sirius about the impending danger. Even if Mr Ismay had made certain plans to save lives, the one life he wouldn't place at risk was that of the love of his life.

~o~o~o~

Over the next few days as Remus worked tirelessly on The Titanic to make it seaworthy, he pondered over what he had heard and searched for any clue or hint that could refute or prove what he had heard. No matter how hard he tried though, he couldn't find anything beyond the entire team being given the day off as Mr Ismay had instructed.

However, Remus found that he couldn't fight his conscience. Something told him that what he had heard was correct. Something told him that all was not what it seemed with White Star Line. Something told him that he needed to tell Sirius what he had heard.

One thing the ship builder knew was that he would not be travelling on board The Titanic when she set sail… he could only hope that Sirius would listen to him and do the same. After all, there were other ships that could take them to America.

~o~o~o~

Several nights later, Remus lay in bed with Sirius, holding his hand in his own, trying to think a way of broaching the subject of The Titanic. She would set sail in only a few short days and he still hadn't found a way to tell Sirius about the impending doom that awaited the ship and the passengers on it.

He knew that he had left it too long and that it was either now or never.

"Sirius," he whispered in his peaceful partner's ear.

"Hmm," Sirius replied sleepily.

"I, erm, I heard something a few days ago, about The Titanic," Remus said nervously.

"Oh, really," Sirius said, rolling over and propping his head on his hand. "Is everything going well?"

"Yes and no," Remus answered.

"What does that mean, love?" Sirius asked, moving a lock of hair out of his face.

Remus took a deep breath. This was it. This was his opening. This was where he told Sirius the truth about The Titanic.

"Everything is going well," Remus replied. "The thing is, it's not The Titanic."

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean, Remus?"

And so Remus recounted the conversation he had heard between Mr Pettigrew, his team leader, and Mr Ismay.

After several minutes, Sirius shook his head. "No, that cannot be true. You must have heard incorrectly, Remus."

Remus sighed. He had thought, hoped, that he had heard incorrectly too. He had tried to find any explanation, any at all, that could rationally explain the conversation he had overheard. However, after weeks of trying, he had not been able to think of anything except what he had come to believe at truth—The Titanic was being replaced by The Olympic.

"I'm afraid not," Remus whispered. "Believe me, I have tried to rationalise what I heard a thousand times, but every time I try, I come to the same conclusion: White Star Line intends to allow The Olympic to set sail as The Titanic, and when, not if, she sinks they will collect the insurance money. You do know they significantly increased the amount The Titanic is insured for just days ago. There is no other explanation, Sirius."

Remus frowned as Sirius flung his legs over the side of the bed and began to get dressed.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" Remus asked, trying to disguise how hurt he felt. "Where are you going?"

"I—I have to get out of here, Remus," Sirius said quickly, making his way to the door. "I'll, I'll think about what you told me and come by and see you again soon."

Remus watched on as the man he loved opened the bedroom door and walked through it, fighting to keep the tears at bay. He wasn't entirely convinced that Sirius believed what he had said, or that he would return anytime soon. And with the launch of supposed, fake The Titanic only days away, he couldn't be sure that Sirius would not be on board.

~o~o~o~

April 10, 1912

Remus lay curled up on his bed. He hadn't heard from Sirius in almost a week, and he was worried. What if he hadn't heeded his warning? What if he boarded The Titanic? And, what if everything he had heard came to pass? Remus didn't think he could live with himself if he allowed Sirius to board that ship.

Come hell or high water, Sirius Black would not be on board that ship when it sank, and Remus didn't care what it would take to make him come with him.

Remus glanced at his bedside clock and noticed that there was only an hour left before the ship left the port, which didn't leave him very long at all. He flung his legs out of the bed and hastily got dressed, not caring what he looked like. He was certain that if Sirius could see him now, he would say that he looked like he had been dragged through a hedge backwards, but he didn't care, the safety of the man he loved was more important to him, especially when that man was so headstrong that he probably hadn't listened to a word he had said and decided to take his intended wife to America with him instead—the very same woman he had been planning to escape from with him.

The ship builder ran hard and fast towards Southampton's Port, arriving with half an hour to spare before the ship departed. He searched the huge crowd of people, hoping to see the familiar head of black hair that he loved to run his hand through during the night, but he couldn't see him. Remus pushed his way through the mass of waving people, aiming to make his way to a higher vantage point.

He tore through the crowd, screaming Sirius' name. He didn't care who heard him or saw him. He didn't care if they thought it was strange or unusual for a man to be calling another man's name out as he was. All he cared about was finding Sirius.

Remus' heart leapt into his chest as he heard the ship's horn sound loudly. He whipped his head around towards The Titanic and watched with worried eyes as she departed port. He noted the cheerful faces of the people on board, waving goodbye to their friends and family. It filled his heart with sorrow to know that many of them may not survive. Even if the ship wasn't a fake that was heading for disaster, there was still the horrific knowledge that there were far from enough lifeboats for the people on board. Remus threw his head into his hands, wishing he had done more—gone to the papers or the police and told them what he had heard. Because of him over a thousand lives at risk. His only hope was that The Californian would be nearby as Mr Ismay had said.

"Sirius, where are you?" he whispered as he watched the ship.

He squinted his eyes at the ship and as he did so he noticed a mess of black hair on the deck, and his heart sank as quickly as he was sure The fake Titanic would.

Sirius was on board the ship.

Sirius hadn't listened to his warnings and betrayed him.

How could he do such a thing?

How could he do that to him?

How could he board that ship, knowing of the dangers that Remus had warned him of?

Did he not trust him? Did he not want to be with him? Was everything they had one big lie, and Sirius had presumed that everything he had told him was equally untrue?

Remus sank to the ground, trying to keep his tears and premature grief at bay. His eyes scanned the people still milling about the port. Soon they would also know his grief, and more than ever before, he hoped that he was wrong—that the ship really was The Titanic and Mr Ismay had changed his mind about the insurance fraud.

The ship was out of sight before Remus regained his composure enough to depart the port, gaining more than his fair share of funny looks from the remaining lower class people nearby.

~o~o~o~

April 15, 1912

Remus padded downstairs in his dressing gown. It had been almost five days since The Titanic had departed Southampton—she would be somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean by now. The longer the ship was at sea, the more hope Remus got that he had misheard the conversation between Mr Pettigrew and Mr Ismay. However, not even that was enough to quench the sting of betrayal he felt at the thought of Sirius not believing him and ignoring his warnings.

He made himself a cup of tea and then turned the wireless radio on.

 _And to repeat our main headline of the evening:_

 _The Titanic, which was making its maiden voyage to America, struck an iceberg late last night and sank. The word is that as many as 1500 people have gone down with the ship._

Remus' cup and saucer slipped from his hand as he switched the wireless off.

The Titanic had sank.

1500 people were dead.

Which meant that there was a very high probability that Sirius was dead too.

Remus blinked back his tears as he thought about his love motionless and freezing somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic, drowning and powerless to save himself or any of the other faceless strangers around him.

He padded towards the kitchen, guilt weighing heavily on his conscience, to retrieve a broom and a pan to clean up the broken china.

He blamed himself for the disaster.

He blamed himself for the huge number of people who had lost their lives

And he blamed Sirius for being an idiot and getting himself killed in the process of committing what Remus felt was an ultimate betrayal.

A knock at his front door broke him of his thoughts. Who would be calling on him so early in the morning? It was most likely some nosy neighbour who had heard about the disaster and wanted to hear some gossip from someone who had worked on the construction of the ship itself. What would he say? Would he lie? Would he say he knew nothing? Or would he tell the truth?

Without knowing what course of action he was going to take, Remus opened the door and found a dishevelled and exhausted Sirius Black standing on his doorstep.

"Sirius," he breathed, taking him into his arms, "what are you doing here? I thought you had got on The Titanic?"

"I nearly did," Sirius whispered, "but I couldn't. Your warning rang in my ears as I looked at the ship and I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave you behind. As soon as I left the port, I ended my engagement to Marlene. Mother and Father were far from impressed and have since cut me off from the family fortune. And—And just now, I head on the radio that she sank… you were right."

Remus sniffled quietly and buried his face in Sirius' shoulder.

"What's wrong, my love?" Sirius whispered.

"It's all my fault," Remus told him. "Those lives that were lost… I could have done something about it. I _should_ have done something about it."

Sirius took Remus' face in both his hands and looked deep into his eyes.

"And then what would have happened?" Sirius asked. "You saw how I reacted and I love the bones of you. If you had told anyone else they would have had you locked away in an asylum with a bunch of 'crazy' people. There was nothing you could have done."

"Do you really think so?" Remus asked.

"I know so," Sirius answered, looking deep into Remus' eyes. "The only people to blame for this are those arseholes that own White Star Line."

"Say it again," Remus whispered, taking Sirius' hand into his own.

"What? About them being arseholes?" Sirius asked.

"No, the other thing," Remus said, leading his lover inside. "You know, when you said you loved me."

"Oh, that," Sirius laughed. "I, Sirius Black, love you, Remus Lupin."

"Good, because I love you too," Remus replied with a smile. "But if you ever put me through that kind of worry again, I might just have to reconsider my feelings."

Sirius gave Remus a predatory smile, his eyes darkening with lust.

"You could never stop loving me," he whispered huskily, guiding his lover up the staircase and towards his bedroom. "You'd miss my sweet arse too much."

Remus laughed at Sirius, admiring his bum as they entered the bedroom. As they slowly began to undress each other, Remus felt complete and knew that, from this day forth, Sirius would be by his side, forever.


End file.
